• The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Aleksandr Vlasov discussion thread

Page 2 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
There's no reason to think he can't win, but it's just that in the past he's been inconsistent. Vlasov reminds me a bit of Hart and Carthy, not in style but in results -- he's been able to climb with the best in the world, and this could be the race he puts it all together with a podium GC place.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
There's no reason to think he can't win, but it's just that in the past he's been inconsistent. Vlasov reminds me a bit of Hart and Carthy, not in style but in results -- he's been able to climb with the best in the world, and this could be the race he puts it all together with a podium GC place.

I dont agree at all that this guy has been inconsistent. Vlasov has been super consistent in recent years, but he has just also slightly improved every year. The only time he was not consisents was October 2020 because he had health issues. But other then that he has always been in a very good form in almost every race he participated in.

Whether he can be in good for three weeks is a bit of an unknown. Allthough his form didn't seem to decrease in last years vuelta even though he started not being fully fit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Roku
Same issue for him again today, he is very good, but he just lacks that final accelaration and therefore Bernal crushed him on the last part of the climb. Better stages coming up for him, but i think that if Bernals form stays the same Vlasov will not be able to drop him anywhere to be honest.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
I think whatever happens this is confirmation of his continued growth into a real contender. Very mature ride. We know he's comfortable on the monsters after L'Angliru so expecting some good stuff to come from him.

Could make an interesting double act with Carthy if they want to do some co-op actually, both seem comfortable on similar climbs and terrain and maybe an alliance is the best way to take on Ineos
 
Just out of curiosity, were Vlasov and Izagirre together at the top of the climb and Vlasov went faster downhill (weird, Gorka is such a beast at descending) or did Vaslov go alone near the top and Izagirre cut the gap descending but just never got quite close enough? Or were they actually together until the last km and Izagirre just stopped pedalling while Vaslov sprinted to the finish? Weird 20 seconds gap considering the race situation.

Unlucky day for Vaslov with the jacket accident and then the timing of Bernal's attack. Might have doomed a podium spot.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Just out of curiosity, were Vlasov and Izagirre together at the top of the climb and Vlasov went faster downhill (weird, Gorka is such a beast at descending) or did Vaslov go alone near the top and Izagirre cut the gap descending but just never got quite close enough? Or were they actually together until the last km and Izagirre just stopped pedalling while Vaslov sprinted to the finish? Weird 20 seconds gap considering the race situation.

Unlucky day for Vaslov with the jacket accident and then the timing of Bernal's attack. Might have doomed a podium spot.
I believe that on one of the last live images Vlasov already rode away from Izagirre. Seems very unlikely that he descended quicker than Izagirre as you said.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bullrun
Izagirre was the fastest rider (among the top13) in the downhill towards Cortina.
He was 48 seconds faster than Vlasov. So he was more than a minute behind Vlasov on top of Giau.

The Izagirre brothers are very good descenders, especially in the rain, but it's still quite amazing that his miraculous non-crash into the cars on the small descent leading into the foot of the Giau didn't hamper him just a little bit on the final descent.

He was also the second-best finisher (only after Almeida) of the five-man escape group even if he was the one to get dropped first, by far.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
So he's leaving to Bora

Him leaving doesn't surprise me, the team is a mess and Martinelli threw him under the bus when he did not finish that Giro stage last year (he was vomiting on the side of the road, but according to Beppe you have to finish the stage out of respect for the Giro...).
He seems to be a good guy and he's a classy rider, I wish him all the best.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Lui98 and BlueRoads
He started this year very well. It seems the move to Bora gave him some more motivation

FKxdesiXMAMnppm
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bonimenier